


Any Press Is (Supposedly) Good Press

by afteriwake



Series: Fandom Christmas In July - 2018 [8]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Christmas, Developing Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Male-Female Friendship, Molly is an Actress, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Sherlock Holmes, Past Irene Adler/Sherlock Holmes, Plans, Poor Life Choices, Press and Tabloids, Protective Mycroft, Rebuilding, Sherlock Holmes and Drug Use, Sherlock Is A Bit Not Good, Sherlock is an actor, Sherlock-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 17:13:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15514605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: Sherlock Holmes is having to rebuild his life in a number of ways from an unfortunate overdose while he was trying to break away from the image he'd crafted since he was a child. His best friend Molly has an idea: to gain some freedom, they can pretend to date for the duration of December. Maybe longer, if the plan works. And Sherlock is more than happy to go along with it...at first.Until feelings start to develop between them.Until his past comes back into his life.Until he has an abundance of tough choices to make.Until his very life depends on making the right decision, this time.





	Any Press Is (Supposedly) Good Press

**Author's Note:**

  * For [katiebuttercup](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katiebuttercup/gifts).



> So this is going to be a multichapter answer to a prompt claimed by **katiebuttercup** for my Summer of Surprises (“ _'We are celebrities and our fans ship us so let’s make them happy and pretend we are together, let’s call it an experiment'_ ”). It's also a Christmas in July answer for the prompt " _mistletoe_."

Bored.

Bored. Bored.

Bored bored bored…

Sherlock Holmes tapped his pen on the pad in front of him, looking at the rather tacky Christmas decorations in his agent’s office. Why on earth was their mistletoe up? Wouldn’t that smack of sexual harassment if someone got handsy?

Mycroft cleared his throat and Sherlock reluctantly turned his attention back to the task at hand. He was supposed to be planning a benefit appearance, but his team was talking amongst themselves and he’d effectively been cut out of the conversation. Where he’d once had full control of his career and his public appearances, ever since the overdose he had a “team” to manage him.

Handlers, really. That was what they truly were. And he hated the lot of them.

His life was much more complicated than it appeared on the surface. He had deep, dark secrets he hadn’t been in the mood to share with anyone, even his closest friend John. And it had blown up in his face when one night he had decided enough was enough and he was going to break loose from his family’s restrictions. Be better than the “golden boy of British telly.”

Oh, what a mistake that had been. One night of excess and they had doubled down on the control they had over him, and already, it was chaffing.

“Oh, Ms. Hooper. Your appointment isn’t for another half hour. We’re wrapping up with Mr. Holmes now.”

The only good person in the lot was his security guard. Geoffrey or Gregory or something like that. Generally, Sherlock just called him Lestrade. But he passed a grin to Sherlock and nodded to the door to see the woman standing there. The only person to truly know him. His oldest friend, Molly Hooper.

He hopped out of his seat and headed towards the door. “She’s here to rescue me,” he said, glaring at his brother.

Molly nodded. “I thought Sherlock and I could get a bite before my meeting? We thought you’d be done by now.”

He hoped his brother realized she wasn’t a threat, was never going to _be_ a threat to the image they had built for him, and would let them eat in peace, or at least only send Gregor with them. Finally, he nodded to Lestrade and then waved his hand, turning back to the conversation at hand with his “team.”

Freedom. What a blessed relief.

The two of them moved towards the door, Lestrade going through first and then heading to the lift and stopping. “I’ll give you two a bit of privacy, but don’t make me regret it,” he said, pressing the button.

“We’re just going up to the canteen,” Molly said with a smile before leaning over and kissing Lestrade’s cheek. “But I’ll make sure Sherlock behaves.”

“I know you will,” he said, giving her a hug before getting into the lift. The two of them followed and they went to the third floor. He sat on the far edge of the room while Molly directed the two of them to a table. “I got your favourite,” she said. “Steamed salmon and asparagus.” He made a face and she giggled. “Okay, not really. The greasiest hamburger they had and just cooked chips.”

“You really are a godsend,” he said, dropping into the seat. She’d gotten the same, it seemed, though knowing she was a vegetarian for dietary reasons he assumed hers was a veggie burger instead of beef like his. He also imagined she’d loaded hers up with every topping the canteen had. He picked up his burger and took a bite, moaning slightly in delight as she chewed and swallowed. “One more vegetarian dish and I’ll go on a hunger strike.”

Molly giggled at that and reached for the ketchup. “I’ll sneak you junk food whenever I can.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I don’t want to do this stupid film. I don’t want to do _anything_ , really.”

She picked up a chip and pointed it at him. “You know you’re the breadwinner for your family. Action films pay well.”

“Unfortunately,” he said. He’d known Molly since the first audition he’d gone to. They’d worked together off and on ever since their toddler years, and for a long while they were a romantic couple on one of the soaps that played on the daytime telly. But Molly was more like...family. Not that she wasn’t pretty in a “girl next door” sort of way, but she was more a sister than anything else.

Though if going with his actual type led to anything, it was simply trouble. Voluptuous brunettes tended to be more trouble than they were worth.

“Could you do it?”

He realized he’d been spacing as he was concentrating on his thoughts and eating his burger before anyone on his team caught wind he was breaking his diet. “Hmm?”

“I said, could you please go to this function so I know someone at the after party?” she asked. She didn’t roll her eyes; his thoughts would always race and carry his attention away, and it was something she had grown used to in the almost twenty years she’d known him.

“What event?” he asked.

“A charity concert,” she said. “Symphony orchestra from China. Right up your alley.”

“Yeah, sounds like a good evening. I’ll convince my brother,” Sherlock said with a nod.

“I may have already ensured there was a ticket in your name sent this morning,” she said with a grin.

“You are an evil genius,” he said, shaking his head with his own smile on his face. “You know, it would make my life so much easier if we just...I don’t know. Were a thing in public.”

“Why don’t we?” His head snapped up and he looked at her with wide eyes. “I mean, ever since the show people have thought we were dating. I mean, granted, most people think you cheated on me with the Adler woman. We pretend to date and that would be good for both of us.” She tilted her head. “I have a ton of public events to go through this month since I’ve got the single out now. I’ve got to promote it so it can chart at the top of the Pops on Christmas.”

He tilted his head back and forth a bit, pursing his lips. Mycroft trusted her, and he _did_ enjoy her company, and it would give him a modicum of freedom. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea. He took another bite of his hamburger and then nodded. “Then we’re a couple now.”

“Good thing we’ve already snogged,” she replied. “It will make it all a bit less awkward.”

“Yeah, good thing,” he said, going back to his burger. Him and Molly. Who would have guessed, other than their fans? But at least it would work to both of their advantages. Of that, he was pretty sure.


End file.
